2 Thessalonians 3:6-12: a reflection

6Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother who walks in rebellion and not after the tradition which they received from us. 7For you know how you ought to imitate us. For we didn’t behave ourselves rebelliously among you, 8neither did we eat bread from anyone’s hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you. 9This was not because we don’t have the right, but to make ourselves an example to you, that you should imitate us. 10For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: “If anyone is not willing to work, don’t let him eat.” 11For we hear of some who walk among you in rebellion, who don’t work at all, but are busybodies. 12Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they work with quietness and eat their own bread.

Paul writes to a church where some had fallen into idleness, refusing to work and busying themselves in others' affairs, and he calls them to honest, quiet work. He reminds them of his own example: he did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but worked night and day, so as not to burden anyone. And he gives a plain instruction to those who would not work but had become idle busybodies: work with quietness and eat your own bread. Honest work, quietly done, providing for oneself rather than depending needlessly on others or meddling in their affairs, is what Paul commends. He does not despise work as beneath the believer; he sets an example of it and calls others to it, honoring the dignity and duty of quietly earning one's own bread.

Notice what Paul commends: honest, quiet work, earning one's own bread. He does not treat work as beneath the believer or as a distraction from higher things; he worked night and day himself, and calls the idle to do the same. The problem he addresses is idleness that refuses honest work and turns instead to meddling in others' affairs, becoming busybodies rather than workers. Against this, Paul commends quiet, honest labor: work with quietness and eat your own bread. There is dignity in providing for oneself by honest work, and duty in not burdening others needlessly. The quiet doing of one's own honest work, rather than idleness and meddling, is what Paul both modeled and urged. Honest work quietly done is honorable, not beneath us. To earn our own bread and not be a needless burden is a fitting way to live.

That is worth taking to heart, for there is dignity and duty in honest, quiet work, earning our own bread rather than idleness. We can drift into idleness, avoiding honest work, or turn our energy to meddling in others' affairs rather than attending to our own; but Paul, who worked night and day himself, calls us to work with quietness and eat our own bread. There is dignity in honest labor and duty in not needlessly burdening others. Do not drift into idleness or meddling; do your own honest work quietly, earning your own bread, as Paul both modeled and urged. Do your own honest work quietly, earning your own bread rather than falling into idleness or meddling in others' affairs, as Paul worked night and day so as not to burden anyone and called the idle to work with quietness and eat their own bread; for there is dignity in honest labor and duty in providing for ourselves, and the quiet doing of our own work is honorable, not beneath us, and better than idleness that turns to meddling.

Lord, Paul writes to a church where some had fallen into idleness, refusing to work and busying themselves in others' affairs, and he calls them to honest, quiet work. He reminds them of his own example: he did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but worked night and day, so as not to burden anyone. And he gives a plain instruction to those who would not work but had become idle busybodies: work with quietness and eat your own bread. Honest work, quietly done, providing for oneself rather than depending needlessly on others or meddling in their affairs, is what Paul commends. He does not despise work; he sets an example of it and calls others to it. Show me what Paul commends: honest, quiet work, earning one's own bread. He does not treat work as beneath the believer; he worked night and day himself, and calls the idle to do the same. The problem he addresses is idleness that refuses honest work and turns instead to meddling in others' affairs. Against this, Paul commends quiet, honest labor. There is dignity in providing for oneself by honest work, and duty in not burdening others needlessly. Take that to my heart, for there is dignity and duty in honest, quiet work, earning my own bread rather than idleness. I can drift into idleness, avoiding honest work, or turn my energy to meddling in others' affairs rather than attending to my own; but Paul, who worked night and day himself, calls me to work with quietness and eat my own bread. Keep me from drifting into idleness or meddling; help me do my own honest work quietly, Lord, earning my own bread, as Paul both modeled and urged.